SEPTEMBER WRAP

30 Sep SEPTEMBER WRAP

Socceroos World Cup Qualifier at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium for a clash against Thailand. The green and gold reigned supreme with a 2-1 win over the visitors to ensure Socceroos Road to Russia would continue on to the Play Off Stage.

It wasn’t just the Australian Men’s Football team in action in September we also continued with the green and gold theme

with the Westfield Matildas. The development of women’s football has gone under the radar for some time, but with recent success and incredible talent on display through the likes of Sam Kerr, including winning AFC Women’s Player of the year, the Matildas fan base has been rapidly building over the last few years. The Matildas were set for two friendlies in front of record crowds against Brazil; the first to be held in Penrith before finishing with their second game in Newcastle.

These friendlies opened the eyes of Australia to the talents of the young Australian side. Penrith was a complete sell out, with the impressive crowd ready to see the girls in green and gold defeat one of the biggest countries renowned for their football skills. The Matildas did not leave the crowd disappointed, putting on a show that was set to be a huge stepping stone in the upward movement of the Matildas, with a comfortable 2-1 win over the visitors.

The Newcastle game, following the excitement of the Penrith game, saw a record-breaking crowd of 16,829 fill McDonald Jones Stadium. The sixteen thousand plus fans would leave the stadium in awe of our Matildas. The girls were put under pressure early with Brazil scoring a goal in the first 60 seconds of the match but Australia managed to respond with a goal just before half time. In the final half, Samantha Kerr reminded the crowd why she was the AFC Women’s Player of the year by scoring her second goal of the match. Caitlin Foord helped the Matildas over the line to seal their second win against the visitors with a 3-2 result come the final whistle.

The two home games meant the Matildas had cemented their spot in the FIFA top ten, sitting pretty at sixth.

The September of football sign off was with the Melbourne Victory FC Family Day, to be held at the iconic Melbourne Zoo. It was an opportunity for MVFC’s faithful fans to get up close and personal with some of the world’s most beautiful animals, and Victory’s entire squad. The afternoon had something for everyone, including some favourite activations including AGL.